The president conferred medals on the two officials of national development and support department who led the renovation effort.

Mrs Hindia, addressing the gathering, thanked Ghani for the renovation of the historic Palace that was damaged by decades of conflict.

The inauguration, originally scheduled to coincide with the 100th Independence Day of Afghanistan, was postponed due to a deadly suicide attack inside a wedding hall that killed 81 people and wounded 200 others.

The Palace was built by King Amanullah Khan in the early 1920s. It was destroyed during the 40-year civil strife.

The renovation process was set in motion in May 2016 and completed at a cost of $16 million.